Anticreeper for rails



' Sept. 22, 1931. c. P. miss I 1,824,544

wwrcannrr m. FOR RAILS Filed Feb. 11, 1931 Zf'Sheets-Sheet '1 Tia 4. m

I CHHRLES F. #555.

Sept. 22, 1931. c. P. HESS 1,324,544

- ANTICREEPER FOR RAILS Filed Feb. 11, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 A5 'Il/ZZV/lIl/IIIIJ b V" k 10 grwmtoo Patented Sept. 22, 1931 enemas r. nnss, or cLnvELAnn, oHIo ANTIcREnrEn r03. RAILS Application med February 11, 1981'. semi m 515,107; 1' r In railroad building it is well known that it is necessary to prevent displacement of the rails, and for this purpose it is customary, as is well Rnown toprovide anti-creeping devices for the prevention of longitudinal creeping or traveling of the rails in use, as well asrthe securing spikes whichhold the rails to the cross ties to prevent lateral displacement thereof. Theseanti-creeping devices are placed on each side of'each cross tie-and are adapted to tightly clamp the rail flangev against the cross tie in such manner V tween the anti-creeping device and the rail.

that-the anti-creeping devices will not be liable to become loosened or removed from 5 the r'ailsbut will always form a binding acr H w flat against the-respective. upper and flower tion with such rails. I s p 7 The present invention relate to an improved form of such anti-creeping devices which is featured by case of manufacture andapplica-tion to the rails. and also by the provision of new and improved instrumentalitiles for interlocking the complementary parts of the device. v I i e The invention will be more readily underanc'e with this invention. p r

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device of dicating by arrows the relative direction of travel of the complementary members when they are brought to interlocking position.

: Fig' 3 is a bottom plan view of the device ,of'Fig'l; s

ofFig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view ofone of the members of which the device is formed.

F ig. 6- is a perspective view of the other: member adapted to interlock with the mem ber of Fig.

- foroperationyand plicationof the device of this invention.

stoodby reference to the accompanylng drawv ings in which Fig. 1 is .a perspective view of an anti-creeping device formed in accordl.

tendency of the jaWlO, and more specifically Fig. 1, indicating in dotted lines the dis: placed position of the complementary mem bers of which the device is formed, and in-.

F'g. 4' is an end elevation of the device [placing the contactpoint ofthe upper face 13 Fig, 7 is a detailed perspective-viewshow-f ing the device applied to: a rail as installed Fig. '8 is a diagrammatical plan viewlof "a section of railroad track showing the apthe face 20 of the member 11 willabut the will readily be seen; from an inspection of the drawings, the anti creeping device of the present invention comprises two complementary interlocking members 10 and 11 which are designed to bear against the lateral edges of the base of the rail l2 and to cooperatively exert a clamping action thereon. In

addition, to the lateral clamping action the member 1 0 ezterts'a vertical gripping action uponthe upper and lower facesofthe con- 00 tiguous portion of the rail bases, which action materially reinforces the engagement be- The gap of 10 is provided with opposing rail engaging faces 13 and 14 which lie surfaces of the rail flange or baseagainst Which they bear.- The faces 13 and 14 bear firmly againstthe top and bottom of the contiguous portion of the rail flange respectively and exert a gripping action upon the-rail,

With it. I V v It will be seen that the jaw 10 is provided witha downwardly .curved portion 15 which abuts against the tie, des ignated l6, and the the upper portion thereof to move with the rail, together withthis abutmentof the lower so portion l5 thereof against the tie and restraining such movement resultsin'a kind of rocking movement of the'member', 10 which causes the faces-13 and 14 to more firmly bear'againstfthe upper and lower faces of :the rail base and to increase the vertical gripping action of the member 1,0 upon the rail flange. This action may be increased by with therail somewhat in advance-of the contact point of the lower" face 14.

, Interlocking with the -memberf10 is the member 11, forming a complementary member therefor and provided with rail engaging faces 17 andlS similar tothe faces 13 and It above described; This member 11 is formed with a depending portion 19 of configuration similar to the portion 15 of the member IOand adapted to fit therein, so that notches or grooves 24, accidental displace'-' ment of the members and 11 will be prevented and these membe'rs will be securely 'interlocked together.

This invention is also characterized by'the fact that the members 10 and 11 are joined together at an oblique angle, as is clearly shown in Figs.,1,2 and 3, so that the distance between the jaws of the members 10 and 11 will be greater as these members are displaced than will be the distance between the jaws when the members are in the position shown in Fig. 1. This permits a very close and the rail and holds thedevice securely and immovably clamped to the rail, although the from their interlocking engagement by pressureexerted upon the spring 22 to raise this spring and thus release therib 23 from engagement with the notches 24. This rib 23 acts as a pawl, the notches 24 serving as a rack therefor, this structure permitting the ready slipping together of the members 10 and 11, as above described, but which prevents the accidental displacement thereof, "theoblique angle between the parts 10 and 9 11 assuring permanent andrigid clamping at all times between the anti-creeping device and the rail and tie so that longitudinal displacement of the rail will be entirely avoided.

The device is constructed of metal of suitable strength and hardness, and it is desirj able that the weight of the device be kept as,

I low as possible. For this reason, the final f corresponding decrease substantially U-shaped in their'cOnfigura notch 24a is considerably larger than the remaining notches, a considerable amount of metal being cut away to form this notch, with in weight. The weight of the device may be further decreased by making the outside surface of the member 10 in the form of'a channel. It will be observed that the portions and 19 of the respective members 10. and 11 are tion, the portion 19 being adapted to fit into the portion 15 which therefore forms an outer portion of the complementary U-shaped members, the member 15 being. provided with a I depending interlocking flange 25 which is inserted in the U of the inner portion 19;

This cooperating complementary construction results in the production of an even flat surface 26 upon which the rail 12 engages. The construction which results is very simply made and is very strong and rigid.

It will be apparent that various changes in the details of the construction of this device may be made without departing from the inventive concept, and such changes will be apparent to one skilled in this art. It will be accordinglyunderstood that it is intended and desired'to embrace within the scope of this invention such modifications and changes as may be required to adapt it to varying conditions and uses.

Having thus described my invention, what 'I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. -An anti-creeper for rails comprising a pair of separable complementary members talities-comprising a'series of grooves on one f of the rail gripping members and a resilient pawl member'c'arried by the other member engagement between the anti-creeping device for engaging with the grooves for interlocking-therewith to prevent accidental displacev V me1'1t of'the rail grippingmembers, while members 10 and 11' may be readily released 25- An anti-creeper for rails comprising a pair "of complementary rail gripping members adapted to interlock with each other to 1 clamp with a rail andjto abuta'gainst a crosstie, and cooperating interlocking instrumentalities' carried by the members, the instrumentalities comprising a series of grooves on one ofthe rail gripping members and a spring carried by the other member, the spring being provided with a 'downturned rib for engaging with the groovesfor interlocking therewith to prevent accidental'displacement of the rail gripping members, while permitting ready interlocking thereof in rail clamping position.

3.7An anti-creeper for rails comprising a pair of complementary rail gripping members each provided with depending substantially U-shaped portions, one of which is" adapted to be inserted into the other, the outer portion being provided with adepending interlocking flange for engaging the interior of the U of the inner portion to inter- "lock therewith,the said U-shaped portions terlocking instrumentalities carried by each member to mutually interlock the members for prevention of accidental displacement thereof while permitting ready interlocking of the members in rail-clamping position.

5. An anti-creeper for rails comprising a pair of complementary rail clamping members, one of which members is provided with a rail-engaging portion having a substantially flat rail-engaging surface and an upstanding rail engaging flange adapted to grip one edge of a rail, the said member being also provided with a generally downwardly extending portion formed to first extend downwardly, then curved upwardly and outwardly and thence inwardly and downwardly, thereby forming one part of an interlocking channel, the other of the said rail-engaging members having also an upstanding rail-engaging portion adapted to grip the other edge of the rail and having a substantially flat rail-engaging portion, the member having also a portion adapted to snugly fit into the generally downwardly extending portion of the first mentioned member and formed to first extend downwardly, then curved outwardly and upwardly, the flat rail portions of said members cooperating to form a continuous flat surface, and interlocking instrumentalities for locking the clamping members together.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CHARLES P. ESS. 

